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Win Press Coverage: New Website Press Release Templates for UK Small Businesses

Watercolour title card for press release guide

Send a press release only when your website launch has a genuine news hook, not just because it went live. If you’re a new business opening its doors, expanding services, or tying the launch to something timely, a well-built release can secure you real coverage. If none of that applies, skip it and put the effort into your own channels instead. Either way, the fastest next step is copying a template and drafting your five W’s today.

TL;DR:

  • A website launch is newsworthy mainly when it involves a new business opening, a significant service expansion, or exclusive data that provides real value to specific audiences.
  • A press release should answer who, what, where, why, and when upfront, with a clear headline and a concise lead paragraph targeting editors’ quick skim reading.
  • Keep the release between 400 and 500 words, free of jargon, and ensure all links, images, and contact details are correct and functional before sending.
  • Distribute the release directly to targeted journalists with a brief pitch email, avoiding mass blasts or unnecessary wire services unless the story is of exceptional scale.
  • For most small businesses, a well-built website created within five to seven days provides the essential proof and assets needed for a credible, effective press release.
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Table of Contents

When is a website launch actually newsworthy?

Most business owners overestimate how interesting their own launch is to a journalist who gets forty pitches before lunch. A brand-new website, on its own, rarely clears that bar. What does clear it is context: why does this launch matter to anyone outside your business?

Editors and local reporters respond to a handful of reliable triggers:

  • A genuinely new business opening in the area, especially one filling a gap (the only plumber website design specialist for miles, or the first tradesperson offering a booking tool that behaves like a proper Checkatrade alternative)
  • A major service expansion, such as a sole trader adding online quoting, e-commerce, or a new trade
  • Exclusive data or research your business has gathered, like local pricing trends or survey results
  • A partnership, funding round, or grant tied to the relaunch
  • A campaign or event the website supports, such as a charity push or a seasonal trading milestone

For local press, the angle is community impact: jobs created, a high street unit filled, a local milestone. Trade press wants relevance to the sector, such as a tool that solves a known headache for electricians or joiners. National press wants scale or a genuinely unusual story, which is rare for a single small business site.

If your launch doesn’t fit any of those angles, a press release is the wrong tool. Post the news on your own social channels, email your existing customer list, and let your new site do its job quietly. Chasing coverage that doesn’t exist wastes time you could spend on getting the basics right, like a fast mobile-friendly quote page for trades or sorting local business schema so search engines understand who you are.

What should a press release actually contain?

Journalists skim. A release that doesn’t answer their questions in the first ten seconds gets binned, however good your website is. Structure beats cleverness here.

  1. Headline — clear, newsy, and written the way someone might search for it. Skip cleverness; state the fact.
  2. Subheading (optional) — one line adding detail the headline couldn’t fit.
  3. Dateline — town and date, so the release reads like proper news copy.
  4. Lead paragraph — this is where most releases fail. It must answer who, what, where, why and when in two or three sentences, with the most newsworthy detail placed first to grab an editor before they move on.
  5. Body copy — the supporting detail: background on the business, the problem the website solves, and any figures worth citing.
  6. Quote — one from the founder or owner, placed after the lead has done the heavy lifting, giving personality without repeating facts already stated.
  7. Boilerplate — a short “About [Business]” paragraph, the same wording every time you send a release.
  8. Contact details — a named person, phone number, and email, plus a link to a press kit.

Statistic Callout: Industry guidance from PR Week recommends keeping a professional release to 400 to 500 words, roughly one side of A4, written in plain English with no jargon.

That word count isn’t a suggestion to pad out. It’s a ceiling. Every sentence beyond it is a sentence a busy journalist won’t read. Councils and public bodies follow the same discipline, and it’s worth looking at how Dover Council structures its own releases for a working example of the tone.

A copy-ready template and three short examples

Here’s a template you can lift wholesale. Fill the brackets, delete the instructions, and you have a release.

Headline: [Business Name] Launches [What’s New] for [Audience/Location]

Dateline: [Town], [Date]

Lead: [Business Name], a [type of business] based in [location], has launched [what’s new] to [core benefit]. The move comes as [context: demand, gap, timing].

Body: [One or two paragraphs on background, the problem solved, and any relevant detail such as pricing, features, or scale.]

Quote: “[Direct quote from the owner or founder, explaining why this matters],” said [Name, Job Title].

Boilerplate: [Business Name] is a [description] based in [location], offering [services]. For more information, visit [website].

Contact: [Name] | [Email] | [Phone] | Press kit: [link]

Three quick worked versions:

  • New business site: A sole trader launching their first website might write: “[Name] Electrical Launches New Booking Site for Burnley Homeowners.” The lead covers who they are, what’s new (an online quote form), and why now (rising demand for fast callouts).
  • Major redesign: A joinery firm relaunching an outdated site could lead with the practical upgrade: “[Business] Unveils Mobile-Friendly Quote Tool After Site Overhaul.” The quote should focus on customer pain points fixed, not internal design choices nobody outside the business cares about.
  • Campaign landing page: A shop launching a seasonal offer page might frame it around timing: “[Business] Opens Online Booking Ahead of Spring Rush.” Keep the body tight and drop the boilerplate straight after.

For local press, warm the tone slightly and mention community ties. For trade publications, lean harder on technical detail and skip the human colour entirely.

How do you distribute a press release properly?

Writing the release is half the job. Getting it in front of the right person is the other half, and it’s where most small businesses fall down.

Build a short pitch email, three or four lines, that states the news, why it matters to that publication’s readers, and offers more detail or images. Targeted pitches sent to named journalists, rather than a generic press office inbox, consistently perform better than a mass blast to twenty unnamed contacts.

Your channel options each carry trade-offs:

  • Wire services (paid distribution sites) give reach but rarely guarantee coverage, and cost can outweigh benefit for a single local launch.
  • Direct pitching to named local and trade journalists takes longer to build but tends to convert better, especially for smaller businesses.
  • Owned channels — your own site’s news page, social accounts, and mailing list — cost nothing and reach people who already care about you.

Timing matters more than most business owners think. Send releases Tuesday to Thursday morning, avoiding Mondays (inbox backlog) and Fridays (nobody’s reading). If you’re sharing genuinely exclusive news with one outlet before others, that’s an embargo: state the release date and time clearly at the top, and never break it yourself by posting to social media early.

Pro Tip: Attach your press kit link, not the assets themselves. A Dropbox or Google Drive folder with logos, photos, and a fact sheet saves a journalist the trip back to your inbox asking for a higher resolution image.

Pre-send checklist and mistakes that kill coverage

Before you hit send, run through this list:

  1. Contact details are correct — test the phone number and email yourself.
  2. Links work — every link in the release, especially to the new website, should be live and tested.
  3. Images are supplied — correctly sized, with descriptive alt text, not just “photo1.jpg.”
  4. Press kit link is included — pointing to a folder, not a single attachment.
  5. File sizes are sensible — a 40MB attachment gets your email bounced by half the inboxes you’re targeting.
  6. Word count is checked — 400 to 500 words, one page.

The mistakes that sink otherwise decent releases are painfully consistent: too much internal jargon nobody outside the business understands, releases that run to three pages because nobody trimmed the enthusiasm, generic “Dear Sir/Madam” sends to unresearched lists, and missing contact details that leave an interested journalist with no one to call.

A simple pre-send test: read it aloud in under 60 seconds. If you can’t, it’s too long. If a stranger wouldn’t understand the second sentence, it’s too jargon heavy.

Everything you claim in a press release needs to be true and provable, since defamation and misleading-claims rules apply to PR copy exactly as they do to advertising. Don’t state figures, awards, or “firsts” you can’t back up if asked.

Copyright is the quieter risk. If your new website uses stock photography, custom illustrations, or licensed fonts, check the licence covers press and media use, not just your own site. A photo licensed for website display only can breach terms the moment a news outlet republishes it alongside your release. The same goes for any third-party logos, such as payment providers or trade body badges, shown on your press-ready screenshots.

Quotes in the release need genuine consent from whoever is named, especially if you’re quoting a partner, supplier, or customer rather than yourself. And if the release names a client or case study, get their sign-off in writing before distribution, not after a journalist calls to verify it.

Finally, keep a dated copy of everything you sent, to whom, and when. If a dispute arises over a claim or an image later, that record is the difference between a quick correction and a genuine headache.

Legal and copyright points to check before you send — overview diagram

The BasicBS view on press releases and fast website launches

We build websites in five to seven working days, which means clients often ask us the same question: should the launch come with a press release? Usually, yes, if there’s an actual story. A sole trader replacing a tired old site with something that finally works on a phone isn’t news. A tradesperson launching the first proper booking tool in their patch, built as a genuine Checkatrade alternative landing page, often is.

Every website build typically includes hosting, security features, and SEO-related training, which provides assets a press release needs: a live link, a clean design to screenshot, and copy written in plain English. That’s most of your press kit sorted before you’ve even thought about pitching.

Whether you choose a pay monthly plan or a one-off event build, the website itself becomes the proof behind whatever you share with a journalist.

— Rhys

Get a fast, honest website built for launch day

BasicBS is the straightforward alternative to the traditional web agency model for anyone who needs a site live before their press release goes out. No five figure invoices, no months of “discovery workshops,” and no contract that punishes you for staying loyal. Just a fast build, honest pricing, and the fundamentals done properly.

BasicBS

Our Website Sale! plan starts from a low monthly fee, covering the build, managed UK hosting, SSL, monthly updates, and SEMrush-led SEO from day one, so your new site is ready to back up whatever your release claims. If you’ve been burned by a cheap builder before, it’s worth reading why cheap website development usually fails and what to look for instead. Sites typically go live quickly, within a short timeframe, and after the initial period clients can move onto flexible rolling plans with loyalty discounts, avoiding steep renewal price increases.

Have a browse of our website examples and templates for a sense of what’s possible, then get in touch to talk timelines. Whether you’re a sole trader, an electrician, a plumber, or running a small business in the UK, a website can be ready before your press release.

Sources

FAQ

Are press releases outdated in 2026?

No. PR Week’s ongoing coverage confirms releases remain relevant, though the format now needs to work for search engines and AI tools, not just human editors. A release with clean structure and named entities still gets picked up, syndicated, and referenced by AI search summaries.

What are some recent examples of website-launch press releases?

Local councils publish these regularly, such as Orkney’s release for its Protect Orkney support hub and Fareham Borough Council’s pages for new residents. Both follow the standard structure: newsy headline, quote, and links to the live site.

Where should I distribute a new website press release?

Start with named journalists at local and trade outlets rather than generic inboxes, then post the release on your own site and social channels regardless of pickup. Paid wire services can add reach but rarely guarantee coverage for a single small business launch.

How much does a website from BasicBS cost if I want one launch-ready?

The Website Sale! plan starts from £10 a month, covering the build, UK hosting, SSL and SEO, with no upfront cost and sites live in five to seven working days. Full current pricing and package details are on the BasicBS site.

How do I get my business showing up in AI search tools like ChatGPT?

Clear local business schema, a fast mobile-friendly site, and consistent named details across your web presence all help AI tools understand and cite your business. It’s a newer discipline than traditional SEO, but the fundamentals, structured data, speed, and accurate information, matter just as much.

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